The Norwegian government is proposing new legislation that would enable DNS blocking of unlicensed gambling sites, requiring internet providers to take technical measures to prevent access to these websites. The move is aimed at further protecting Norway’s state-controlled gambling monopoly, which consists of Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto. The proposed amendment to the Gambling Act is intended to prevent and reduce gambling problems, especially among vulnerable players and their families. This action is in response to foreign gambling companies that have not adhered to Norwegian law.
Washington’s Lottery is launching a new daily draw game called Cash POP.
The other night’s National Lottery drawing couldn’t be broadcast on TV due to technical difficulties. The Lotto Plus One draw machine started selecting balls earlier than scheduled, causing the live broadcast to be suspended. However, this didn’t affect the integrity of the draw or the numbers drawn. The Lotto and Lotto Plus Two draws were conducted off-air, with results later released. Unfortunately, no one won the jackpots, including the €2,704,266 Lotto jackpot.
The Minnesota Lottery has unveiled its annual Minnesota Millionaire Raffle, known for providing the best opportunity to win $1 million. This year’s raffle features an additional 100,000 tickets, bringing the total to 800,000, and introduces new prize levels of $50,000 and $200. These changes have significantly enhanced the overall odds of winning a prize, reducing them to 1 in 51.03. With each ticket priced at $10, the drawing for the 15,677 winning numbers will occur on January 1, 2024.
The Illinois Lottery reported a record-breaking net income of over $880 million in fiscal year 2023, attributed to large jackpots, with Mega Millions and Powerball revenue increasing by 53%. Retailers received $174 million in bonuses and commissions. The lottery produced 61 new millionaires, including the winners of a $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
The Texas Lottery reported record-breaking sales of $8.73 billion for the fiscal year 2023, with a significant contribution of more than $2.16 billion to public education and veterans’ causes. Gary Grief, Executive Director of the Texas Lottery Commission, attributed this success to factors such as the hard work of lottery employees, the popularity of $100 scratch tickets, and the appeal of large national jackpots. Over 77% of sales came from scratch tickets.
Rhode Island’s lottery generated approximately $435 million for the state’s General Fund in the 2023 fiscal year, a notable increase from the previous year. This growth was driven by gains in video lottery earnings, sports betting, and online gambling revenue. Online casinos, recently legalized in Rhode Island, are expected to contribute significantly to state revenue, with a projected $220 million in tax revenue over the next five years.
Totalizator Sportowy is currently in the process of selecting agencies to provide media planning and purchasing services. It is not disclosed how many agencies have been invited to participate or why the tender is not conducted based on public procurement law.
Scientific Games has extended its contract with the Kentucky Lottery, continuing to provide digital customer relationship management services for up to four years. Since the launch of the digital CRM program in 2021, Kentucky Lottery’s online sales have grown by 179%, ranking it among the world’s top 15 lotteries for instant game per capita sales. Scientific Games’ CRM solution, delivered on the Optimove platform, focuses on driving omnichannel player engagement and retention, optimizing marketing messages through personalized insights and a data-driven player lifecycle model. This extension aims to further accelerate the Kentucky Lottery’s growth.
International Game Technology PLC (IGT) has achieved an improved score for the fourth consecutive year in the 2023 S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). In the casinos and gaming category, IGT received an overall CSA score of 54 and perfect scores in transparency and reporting, emissions, waste, water, and talent planning and analytics. IGT has been working on Sustainable Play initiatives, which have had a positive impact on its people, industry, community, and the environment. The company remains committed to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) programs for building a more sustainable future. The S&P Global CSA is a global sustainability benchmark that rates companies across various industries based on their sustainability criteria.
Zynga successfully defended itself in a recent patent lawsuit brought by IGT. A jury in Austin, Texas, ruled that Zynga’s slot-machine games did not infringe on IGT’s mobile gaming patent, and they also found IGT’s patent to be invalid. IGT sued Zynga in 2021, claiming that Zynga’s mobile slot-machine games, including “Hit It Rich” and “Game of Thrones,” infringed on their patent. The court had earlier separated IGT’s claims over three related patents into a different case, which was paused during appeals of a U.S. Patent Office tribunal’s decisions to declare them invalid.